An Unpredicted Relationship
by EraAre
Summary: Dera, the eldest Princess of Dale, has always resented being told what to do and arranged marriages, and she's beginning to hate them now she's forced into one. Can she learn to love the man she's being forced to marry? *Disclaimer* I own nothing, except OCs (surprisingly), Post BoFA, but Thorin, Fili, and Kili all survived
1. Big News

**Author's Note: This is my first Hobbit fanfic so please review! I'm sorry if you hate it, I just got this idea in my head and decided to write it down. I'm going to write more and if you could, please review, I'm open to suggestions!**

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I wake up to someone gently shaking my shoulder. I can see the sunlight through my eyelids, but I don't want to get up yet so I roll over and hope that this person will go away.

"Dera, Dera, wake up!"

I can tell it's my sister, but I'm still tired.

"Asta, just go back to bed, it's too early!"

"It's nearly time for breakfast! Father told us to be early today! Come on!"

"Oh, yeah, he did want us to be early. Do you remember why?"

"No! He won't tell me! But could you braid my hair? Please?"

I can tell I'm not going back to sleep any time soon. "Fine, sure, just give me a minute."

I roll out of my amazingly comfortable bed and flinch when my feet hit the cold floor.

I slip on one of my new dresses, it's simple but I love the silver color, it always reminds me of the moon. It flows over my body and I love its silky smoothness. I turn around to see that my sister is sitting patiently on my bed with a brush in hand.

And she's wearing her version of my dress. I smile because we always seem to wear the same kinds of dresses. Her deep purple makes her bright blond hair seem even lighter, while my silvery dress make my dark hair seem even darker.

I give my sister a pillow and tell her to kneel on the ground while I sit down and start brushing her long blond hair. Both of us have grown out our hair and it hangs down our backs.

"I wish that I had your hair. It's so nice and thin and it looks like the sun decided to grow on your head, only less weird."

"What are you talking about? Your hair is longer and just a little bit thicker! And the brown has so many different tones to it!"

"My hair looks like tree trunk, it's the right size and color!"

"Your hair is not that thick! Plus, the sun really brings out the blond highlights, and may I remind you that they're natural? I'm jealous!"

"Ok, ok. How do you want your hair braided?" I'm give up about the hair colors because I know how long my sister and I could, and have in the past, had discussions about this.

"Could you do the Dera Braid?"

"The Dera Braid? Does it have a name now?"

"Well, you're the only person able to do it! So! I decided to name it!"

"I will be remembered forever in braiding history! But how do you know that nobody else can do it?"

"Well, I guess that some elf could do it, but I've asked around the kingdom and no one will even try it! Because it looks 'too complicated'!"

"It's not that complicated! Look it's done, now could you help me with my hair?"

"Sure, do you want me to try the 'Dera Braid'?"

"Well, if you don't think it's 'too complicated'" She knows I'm just kidding her and I give her instructions while she's braiding my hair.

"Ok, I think I'm done."

We go look in the looking glass. We look a lot alike, other than the hair, we both realize this at the same time.

"I can't believe how much you've grown up, but you will always be my little sister."

"Oh you sound like Father, speaking of Father, he's been expecting us for quite awhile now."

I grab her hand and we run down the halls stopping right at the door to the dining room. We should probably not tell our father that his daughters are running wildly through the halls of the castle. We open the door and walk in together.

As soon as we sit down my father gets right to it and says "You both will be getting married in one month, to the Princes of the Kingdom of Erebor."

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**Please review if you have any suggestions!**


	2. Breakfast Time

**Thank you all so much for the reviews and follows! I got out of school today and I'm planning on using most of the time for writing. I hope that you like this chapter :)**

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I put two and two together and realize, Erebor is a dwarf kingdom. Which would mean...

"We're getting married to dwarves? You are forcing Asta and me, your daughters, to marry some dwarves that we've never met?"

I'm getting near to hysterics when my sister reaches over and pats my back. She tries to comfort me by saying

"It will be fine. Obviously Father has met these dwarves and he knows that this is right for us."

My sister, the diplomat. My father looks down for a minute and then, starts his speech.

"Actually, I haven't met these princes, but their uncle is a respectable dwarf. We have always been friendly with the dwarves. It hasn't even been half a century since The Battle of Five Armies and the rebuilding of Dale. _Our_ city."

We do have surprisingly good relations with the dwarves of Erebor. Ever since the death of Smaug, our people have worked to rebuild Dale and Erebor. I have nothing against dwarves, but I want to be a strong ruler who doesn't have to depend on her king to rule.

"Now these princes and their uncle all nearly died in the battle, but they obviously they survived. Asta, you will be marrying the elder brother and Dera, you will be marrying the younger of the pair."

I am stunned. Father has seriously thought this through and I realize that he won't be changing his mind on this one.

I always thought that I would be free to choose who I marry, or _if_ I marry. I guess that I was wrong.

"So," my sister is trying not to look too excited, "do you know anything else about these princes? Like what are their names? What do they look like? What are they like? How old are they?"

"Now, now, I don't need to answer all your questions because tomorrow the princes will arrive and they can answer all your questions and more."

My father smiles at my sister's excited face.

"I understand that you are doing what you think is best for us. But, how can you be sure that this is best?"

"Dear, Dera, I trust Thorin Oakenshield and that his nephews are trustworthy people and that any young lady would be lucky to marry them."

"I am a grown woman I don't need to be told what to do. Which reminds me, how old are these nephews of Thorin if they saw the Battle of Five Armies?" I don't want to marry an old man, if I have to marry someone.

"I believe that one is 105 and the other 110. And you understand that while you age differently because of your elven blood, dwarves age even more differently."

"I have barely any elven in me, but I am at the same age as a 20 year-old human girl, so how much older is he?" I am slightly skeptical because he must be at least forty.

"He is only one or two years older than you if you're going by common years."

"So, you seem pretty interested in someone that you don't want to marry." My sister is obviously curious about her future husband and is only trying to annoy me.

I decide to ignore her and start eating. Just a little bit ago we were having a good time together and now back we're fighting again. Oh well, pretty quickly I realize that I've completely lost my appetite. I consider going back to my room and going back to sleep.

Instead, I decide to ask about the upcoming ball. Every year we have the Death of the Dragon Dance. I don't really like the name, but it's kind of obvious what everybody is celebrating.

It's in Laketown and Bard, the archer who killed Smaug, is kind of the grand marshall. He's getting old now, but he's a hero and is treated as such. Since the towns are so close, everyone from Dale is going.

"So, Asta. What are you planning on wearing to the ball?"

"Oh, goodness! That's in two days! Father we need to go to the market to get our gowns!" My sister looks panicked and not thinking about princes. Which is what I was going for, only not the panicked part.

"Yes, you may, as soon as you finish your breakfast." My father is good about knowing that it's useless to argue about new dresses, he just pays the tabs.

My sister and I give each other a look and start scarfing our food down. My father gives us a look that says 'you should act more like princesses' but we just ignore him.

We finish our breakfast and hurry to our rooms to grab our cloaks and to make sure we have money in our purses. We get some ponies to ride, because Father insists that we aren't tall enough to ride regular horses. I find this insulting but we need to get to the market and start looking at dresses.

We hop onto our ponies and ride into town.


	3. Dresses, Dresses, Dresses

It's only a little cold, but I draw my cloak around me to make me warmer. I stroke my ponies mane as we take the short trot to the market. She has a light brown mane and an even lighter coat. I look over at my sister on a horse, it's quite a sight.

She definitely is not the most coordinated person I know.

"You're too stiff, just relax, you have one of the sweetest pony I know, next to Faye here." I love her horse _almost_ as much as I love mine.

"Hey look! We're there! I don't have to ride my pony anymore!" She really doesn't enjoy ponies, or horses for that matter.

Asta and I stop at one of our favorite stalls, it's a fabric store, so we don't usually buy from there, but it gives us some good ideas. My eye strays towards the red fabrics and after awhile of looking at them, I start looking at the golden fabrics.

Asta asks what I think about the pink fabric she's holding in one hand and the purple fabric in her other hand.

"Well, I really like the pink fabric, and that purple looks amazing! But, you just got a purple dress, but we could look for something of that color."

"Ok! I love that shimmery gold fabric! We should go look at the actual dresses!"

I agree on both of her points, so we head over to look at the dresses. The little old woman that runs the little shop is so nice, she brings a smile to my face. She knows that we're looking for dresses to wear at the ball and leads us directly to them. My sister walks off in search of the blue section and I look for some good reds or golds.

I look at all the different shades of red, some of them have patterns, but I don't think that I want a patterned one. I would prefer a nice soft dress, I can't stand scratchy materials. I've found my favorite red, it's a bright cherry red, and feels like silk in my hands. I look at the golds, but none of them really stand out to me.

I'm looking around for Asta when I see a deep, emerald green dress. It has three-quarter sleeves, which I've never seen on a dress before, it has a sweetheart neckline, and has a little bit of ruching on the sides. It's perfect. I put back my red dress and as I'm heading back to grab the dress I run into my sister.

"Come with me! I found the _perfect_ dress!"

"Oooooo! Then will you help me decide on which dress to buy?"

I grab my dress, and then look at the two dresses Asta is holding one is a pretty royal purple and the other is a light shade of blue. She holds the blue one to her face and I realize that it matches her eyes perfectly.

"You have to go with that one! How did you find one that matched your eyes?"

"The owner helped me, she's so nice about helping people! I can't believe how cute it is!"

We buy our dresses and ask if the owner could keep them here until we head back to the castle. We go out to the market to get something to eat.

"I'm not really hungry? Are you?" My sister asks me.

I'm not hungry so I answer, "Neither am I, so do you just want to grab some apples?"

"Sounds great! Oh there they are!" Asta points to a vender selling apples and we walk up and buy two. We hop on our ponies and ride back to the castle. We both head over to our rooms.

I decide to take a nap, before I remember what I had been told just this morning. I sit down and wonder what I'm going to do tomorrow when they arrive. I start pacing, this is going to be a long night.

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This chapter was just kind of a filler, but I was thinking about writing the next chapter from Kili's point of view. What do you think?


	4. Second Breakfast

Sorry about the wait, and it's kinda long... But I couldn't resist naming this chapter :)

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I wake up, my sister is sitting on my bed. She looks like she wants to start rocking back and forth because of how nervous she is. Noticing I'm awake she mumbles something

"What?"

I'm not completely out of it, but I'm still a little bit tired. It is morning, even if I actually feel better rested than yesterday morning, though I tossed and turned all night. My sister clears her throat and says,

"They're here."

I sit up, I know exactly who she's talking about.

"They're here and I don't know what to do. What if we don't get along?" My sister looks at me with a such pitiful look, I know I have to reassure her. I wrap my arm around her and tell her,

"You get along with everybody! If they don't like you, then they don't know what they're missing and you're better off with out them." I know that she could get along with just about anybody.

Asta can actually hide her emotions, unlike me, and she's more of a lady and a diplomat than I'll probably ever be.

"But, what if, what if you don't get along with them? I don't want to fight with, or let this come between us." My sister is looking into my eyes and I can see that she's really worried about this. I haven't really thought about this.

"Well, I don't want it to come between us either. You know what, I'll try to get along with them," This isn't much and I know it, "I just don't know them! How am I supposed to marry someone I've just met?" I could probably keep on going like this for quite a while, but then Asta interrupts me saying,

"I really don't know how to answer, but I have a good feeling about this. We've always wanted to go on an adventure, maybe this could be our own little adventure."

I smile, we _have_ always wanted to go out and explore the world. "Well, I'm willing to try this adventure, but only if you are." I say with a sly smile. Asta smiles widely and I see a glimmer in her eye that I haven't seen for awhile.

"I see that you're already dressed, but what should I wear?" I know Asta loves dresses and I haven't let her pick out my outfits in years. I personally prefer simple dresses to the lavish dresses my sister wears. While riding I wear pants, Asta would be scandalized if I told her, so I usually try to avoid informing her.

Asta smiles at my question and walks over to my closet, while she looks through my dresses making faces at some. She pulls out a couple and lays them on my bed. I notice that she's pulled out the twin of the dress she's wearing. I pull it on over my slip and smile at Asta. I quickly braid my hair over my shoulder and we leave the room, heading to the dining hall.

We both stop, just outside the door. We look at each other and take a breath in unison. I'm pretty sure that if we practiced, we could probably do everything in sync. I smile at the thought and push the door open.

I hear deep voices and look at the table that's bursting with food. I'm slightly hesitant to look at the people at the table, I sit down at my usual seat and I feel my sister nudge my arm. I look up at her and she gives me a pointed look and looks at the other side of the table. I glance up at the now silent guest sitting across the table from me.

I meant to just glance, but now I'm staring. This dwarf I'm staring at, he's not like any other dwarf I've ever seen. He isn't burly, he doesn't have dark, squinty eyes, or the dark hair I've seen on most dwarves, overall he looks like a man, who's a little bit on the short side.

I'm staring at the flaxen hair in many braids, even in the mustache, when hazel eyes glance up at me, I blush and look down at my food. My father clears his voice,

"Fili, these are my daughters, Dera and Asta. Girls, this is Fili, son of Durin and first in line for the throne of Erebor."

_Impressive title_, I think sarcastically to my self. I look up, meet his eyes and give him a slight nod before turning to the food. I take some cheese and bread, and pour a cup of water.

"So, where's your brother?" My sister asks in a quiet voice. I stare at my sister, I didn't think that she could be shy.

Fili smiles, my heart melts inadvertently, and in a deep voice says,

"My brother is running just a bit late, I expect that he'll arrive soon. Our uncle had a last minute job for him to do."

"Is he usually late to things?" I ask, slightly sarcastic and slightly curious.

"Oh, no. Uncle just decided that he really needed Kili to forge one last blade for him." Fili chuckles slightly.

"Forge a sword? Don't you have people to do that for you?" _Why would the princes need to forge a sword? Is it really that important?_

"It's extremely important that you forge your own swords because, because I actually don't know why. But, I know that it is." Now he looks slightly confused, and he decides to start eating.

"You should have seen him earlier, I would have thought they were starving you at that castle." My father is smiling as he says this, so Fili doesn't take it seriously. I've heard a lot about the eating habits of dwarves, but I was still surprised by the table manners, or lack of.

"Aren't you two going to eat something? I don't want to be the only one eating here." Fili is looking at my sister and I and we give each other a look of confusion. We have the same 'We're eating like normal people...' look in our eyes.

"Actually, I think I'm going to head back to my room. Asta, will you tell me if anything happens?" I give an almost devilish smile to my sister and add, "Father, will you join me in the hall." Father nods, and we both get up. We're giving the two some time to "Get to know each other" and I'm just glad that Father knew not to question me. I have a few words for him and that I would rather not be heard by our guest.


	5. Finally Arriving

**I felt bad about the wait on the last one and I had already written this chapter in anticipation, so here it is!**

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**Kili's Point of View:**

I can't believe I'm late. I was supposed to be there by breakfast and now I'm late. The city of Dale is barely even a mile out our front doors. I actually wanted to be on time, to make a good impression. I'm packed up to stay a few nights there and I'm about to leave, But, then at the last minute, Thorin realizes that he has a job that needs to be done. Right. Now.

Now that he's King Under the Mountain, Fili and I always say his head is too big to fit under the mountain. Thorin pretends to be mad at us for saying that, but I know he's laughing on the inside, we're just so hilarious. He really can't stay mad at us, especially after that scare with all of us being dead for a while

I shudder as I remember the battle, the poison on the arrows that mimicked death, waking up in a tomb with my brother and uncle. It brings back some bad memories that I do not wish to repeat. I'm just glad that we didn't die in there. I feel like I've really learned to really appreciate life. I laugh to myself because I sound really deep and I know that Fili would be laughing at me.

He told me to be extremely cocky when I first meet this princess, the girl I'm going to marry. Fili says that confidence is attractive. Be cocky and brag my head off, I don't know if it will work. And I don't want her to hate me. But, Fili is older and I trust him. Hopefully, I can impress her with the whole "Prince of Erebor"

Fili says that the ladies love it when they hear that. But I'm pretty sure that the ladies just love Fili, I don't see how, but they do. He's never actually courted somebody, but then again, neither have I.

I ride up on my pony, Sath, to the castle doors. The guards open the doors and let me in. I take my pony to the stable. She's a big pony, almost as big as the horses that are on the smaller side. I'm a little taller than most dwarves, so I fit and she's a sweetheart. But, she tends to be quick to bite and is not very friendly with strangers. A stableboy tries to lead Sath off, but I tell him that I'll take care of her. I don't usually have other people take care of my ponies, I like to take care of my own. I brush Sath and I give her some food, even though it hasn't been a very long walk.

I remember when I first saw her. I was practicing shooting in the woods, I'm really quite amazing at it. When I heard a rustling behind the trees, just past the bushes. I notched an arrow and go to investigate when a pony bursts out. It whinnied loudly and ran directly at me, diverting its course at the last second, the pony nearly knocked me over. Then and there I decided that she would be the best horse for me. I tamed her and named her Sath, a word for arrow.

I head into the actually castle now. I try to remember the tips Fili gave me. Chest out, stand tall, and an arrogant smile.

A servant tells me that they are having supper and I'm surprised that I'm so late. Oops, sometimes I spend almost _too_ much time with my ponies, Fili was here at breakfast.

I walk into the dining hall and smell something delicious. I keep my eyes on the ground until I sit down next to Fili and look around to the stares of everybody at the table.

Fili whispers to me, "You better be pretty good at winning her over. She's a feisty one."

"Don't talk about someone like that! She's a real person!" I whisper back almost angrily.

"No, remember, you are unfeeling. You are a jerk. Girls love that." Fili reminds me, but that just confuses me. I don't know why girls would like jerks at all.

I introduce myself, using my most impressive voice. "Hello, I'm Kili, nephew of Thorin, King Under the Mountain."

I look around the table and see two girls staring at me. One looks like she couldn't tear her eyes away from me even if she wanted to, I have that effect on women, but then the other one looks at me with a look I can only call loathing. I have a feeling that, with my luck, the one that apparently hates me, will be my wife and she'll spend her life hating me. I know I'm thinking too negatively, but still, I haven't dealt with people that hate me for a very long time.

I give the girl looking angrily at me an arrogant smile and she just glares at me. This will be a fun night. I take a long gulp of my drink, and decide that this will have to be the first of many. The rest of the night is a blur and I'm not sure if I would want to repeat some of the things I said.

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**Now in my head, I imagine that Kili is constantly making funny and sometimes cocky comments in his head, but he's too shy to actually say them. Unless he's with Fili, or maybe someone else when he gets comfortable with them... ;)**


	6. Waking Up

I wake up to something poking me in the forehead. It doesn't feel gentle and I hope that they're not trying to get me up, because my head feels like it's trying to split itself in half. I hear somebody talking, at first it sounds far away and I can't make out what they're saying. But slowly I'm starting to make out the words.

"...can't believe I have to do this. I'm taking care of the drunk that spent half the time since I've met him insulting me and the other half trying to impress me. Thank you, Father for this wonderful job. 'Oh, I'm the prince of the Dwarf kingdom of Erebor. I am the best dwarf ever, look at me, I'm a prince.'"

I can hear the voice dripping with sarcasm and the person seems very angry, but I don't know what they're talking about and everything sounds blurry. I moan and try to move, but something pushes me back saying,

"You need to stay lying down. You have an unhealthy amount of alcohol in you and if you ever get this drunk again I'm never going to talk to you again." this person sounds extremely angry.

I open my eyes and see a girl with a disapproving look on her face.

"Wha, what happened?" My voice is slurred and my tongue feels heavy.

"Last night, you so politely walked into our dining hall. Drank more than I hope you ever plan on drinking again. And, _poof_, you were able to become the most annoying and arrogant person that I've ever met." She hands me a glass of water and helps me sit up so I can drink it. I don't recall the last time I was this thirsty for water. But, I feel bad about my behavior,

"Really? I'm sorry 'bout that. I, I didn't impress you with my confidence?" I said. My tongue feels better from that drink of water and I grin, but inside I was a little hurt. When I was getting worried about the whole situation, Fili promised me that everybody would love me if I acted the right way.

"Are you kidding? You have to be one the most unattractive people I've ever met, do you not understand that people have feelings and you can't talk to people whichever way you want? You were cocky and drunk and you couldn't stop talking for one minute." The girl, I remember that her name is Dera. My thoughts are muddled, but I remember this bit of information.

"Fili said, Fili said that people love confidence. But, I can't deny that I'm a talker, I always have been." I grin as I remember the many lectures from Uncle about holding my tongue and being quiet.

"Oh, no, don't get me wrong, I have often been told to hold my tongue and I can understand talking too much. But, I had also been told that if you don't have something polite to say, then you should not say anything at all. Which, if I may say so myself, you did the exact opposite. Also, you can't think that your brother is always right? You can't do everything he tells you."

"Well, he's older and he has a ton of experience, you know, talking to new people. He seems good at it. But, usually, I've been good at holding my tongue." I was starting to get defensive.

"Well, you should really think about your words before they leave your mouth. I will take my leave now, I will return with something to eat." Now, she sounds angry. She quickly gets up and exits the room.

I lay my head against the pillow and hope that my headache goes away quickly. I thought, for a second, Dera sounded like she was willingly talking to me. And I hope that she really doesn't mind my endless talking. But, the women of the world continue to confuse me, and she seemed rather upset as she left. I didn't say anything offensive to her.

I'm giving myself a pounding headache just thinking about this. I move my hands up to my head, but now there's a throbbing in my hand as well. I look at my hand and see that it is bruised and my knuckles appeared to have been bleeding recently.

I'm very confused as to how this happened, and I add it to the 'Things Kili Doesn't Understand' list. Along with women, and the art of climbing trees. I lay down my head as the door opens, and Dera walks in with a tray filled to the very brim with food.

I'm a little bit worried though, it doesn't look like enough food.


	7. Dera, the Maid

I feel. Like a maid. Why am I taking care of this person? Oh, yes, because I'm going to have to take care of him for the rest of my life. He was so... so, ugh, last night at dinner. Then, I had the pleasure of a private conversation with him as I escorted him to his room. I don't even want to remember half of the things he said on that particular adventure. _Why in Middle-Earth would someone act like that?_

I walk back to the room that I had the pleasure of telling Kili he would be staying in last night, and I had to take care of him earlier in. I have a tray overflowing with tons of food. The cooks were amazed at how much both of the brothers had eaten, so they really loaded up this tray. I wonder where dwarves put it all, some are larger, but if eating like that is the norm? How do the mountains not collapse? The tray is very heavy to carry, but I do not want to seem like a weak person, so I refuse to have people carry things for me.

I know Kili's waiting for me to come back with food with his incredible cute face...

No. Stop it. He's a jerk. But his smile is so... No.

He was speaking half decently this morning. No. I gave a him one chance yesterday, well, half a chance. And he wasted it, but, if he was able to prove me wrong, maybe. No.

He was almost a nice person when we were walking to his room and talking privately and he was talking about his family. But then he went and ruined it all by trying to ask about my family, something that I refuse to share with anybody. Everybody knows Father, of course, but they don't really know his late wife, and their two daughters. Mostly because Father has overly-sheltered us our entire lives, it wasn't his fault though, he just wasn't prepared to be a single parent, even with all the castle staff to help.

All of this is going through my head as I struggle to open the heavy wooden door. Eventually I get it open and as I walk in Kili's face lights up and he gets a goofy grin on his face. "I didn't know that anyone could get so excited by food." I say as I raise one eyebrow at him.

"Well, obviously, you haven't met many hungry dwarves." He raises an eyebrow right back at me and smirks. "How did you know sausages were my favorite?"

"Oh they are? I'll have to make sure to tell the cooks... to not make them again." I say as I sit down in a chair next to his bed and put the tray unto the bed. He looks mildly shocked at my behavior, but who is he to judge on behavior?

"I must admit, I'm hurt!" I'm not sure if he's serious or not, but then he grins and starts eating. And by eating, I mean shoveling as much food into his mouth as he can, as fast as he can.

"I see that your hand isn't bothering you too much." I say with a smug smile on my face, but I'm slightly disappointed that it doesn't hurt more. I mean, he does deserve it. But, he simply lifts it up and grins.

"Nothing can distract _me_ from food. But, what happened to my hand?"

I smile as the fond memories come back to me. But, then I remember what led him to punch a wall. "Well, you had a stroke of genius and punched a wall. It was truly impressive, if I may say so myself."

"Why exactly did I punch a wall?" He seems slightly confused, but he still has a small smile on his face. I wonder if he ever plans on frowning.

"Oh, you were quite upset," I smile sweetly, even though my blood is boiling at the memory, and continue, "So, obviously when you're frustrated, the best thing to do is punch a wall."

"Ah, now I see, and what was I so angry about?" He has a quizzical look on his face and raises an eyebrow, so, to show off my skill I raise mine and ask,

"Do you really want to know?" I lean in closer to the bed. He still has a curious look on and he actually isn't smiling as nods his head yes. I lean in even closer so that we're face to face. I don't break eye contact for a second.

"Are you sure you want to know?" I'm so close to his face that I can feel his breath on my face, I close my eyes, "No, you don't want to know." I smile and pull away, sitting back down. Kili gives me an odd look, but slowly a grin spreads across his face.

"You might be as stubborn as a dwarf, I think we might just be able to get along, especially you and Fili," Kili says suppressing a smile. "Maybe, he would be able to tell me what happened."

"Actually, he won't be able to do that for you," I say with an overly smug grin, "You see, I'm the only one who was the witness to your wonderful show."

"And the reason for my show was...?" Kili is very persistent, but, I'm very stubborn on this topic.

"I'm not going to tell you, but since you're done with breakfast, I'll bring the tray back." I say cheerfully, changing the subject. "In case you forgot, the ball is later tonight, so you will have to get out of bed sometime." I'm about to leave when I hear Kili ask me,

"Why do you do that?" I turn back and Kili looks extremely confused. He asks again, "Why, when I'm trying to ask you a question and get to know you, you either change to subject, don't answer the question, or just leave? You've done it multiple times today."

I know exactly what he's talking about but I pretend not to. "I don't know what you're saying, but, I do know that you really enjoy asking questions." I say as I leave the room.

I don't know why, but I don't to have a conversation with him. I don't want to let him in and talking about questions brings up bittersweet memories of my youth. It's easier to just tease him, not know him. I hate everything that he represents, he means that my freedom is gone, and I know I'll have no choice in the rest of my life. I won't be a powerful ruler, my husband will be a great ruler, and I'll only be his wife.

My head is starting to hurt with memories and political issues as I walk down the hall so I decide to take a nap. Hopefully, it will clear my head, and I'll be able to enjoy myself tonight.

~.:.~

I wake up to a pounding on my door.

"Come in!" I shout, groggily, and slightly angrily because I'm still tired. I look at the tangled sheets and my blankets on the ground. Asta peaks her head in and she gets a shocked look on her face.

"Where have you been? You missed lunch and you're still in bed! Why are your blankets on the floor? I haven't seen your bed in a state like that since... well, since we made up." Asta is sitting next to me and I sit up saying, "Well, I was reminded of, the times before that." I say hesitantly, Asta and I didn't exactly get along when we were younger, and both of us are rather sensitive about it. Family matters have been pushed to the back of my mind since that particularly since the news about my marriage. "But, why did you have to wake me up? What do I have to get ready for? And why are you so dressed up?" I ask, but suddenly it dawns on me. "What time is it?"

"Don't worry, we have a little less than an hour until we're supposed to leave. Just be grateful I remembered to come get you." Asta reassures me smiling. "Thank you so much Asta!" I say with a hug, then I get up and head to my closet. As I'm grabbing the dress I bought Asta asks me,

"Aren't you going to make your bed?" I shrug my shoulders, when I was younger I gave up on keeping my bed neat because I messed it up every night. "I guess I should, but I feel like I should hurry and get ready."

Asta nods in agreement and helps me put on my new dress. She laces up the back while I brush through all my hair. Using the delicate bone comb, it takes lots of time to brush all of my hair, but I've gotten used to it. I take a look in the looking glass and spin. I love the way the long skirt spins out. The fabric itself has a slight sparkle in it, when in combination to the deep green color, reminds me of emeralds.

"What are we going to do with our hair?" I ask Asta as I remove the hair from my face. She gets a quizzical look and puts one hand on her hip.

"Well, I think that we should try something new." I raise my eyebrow remembering the last time I let Asta try something new on my hair. "Just how new were you thinking?"

"Oh, nothing too new! Just that you could try leaving most of you hair down, then connect small braids from both sides of your face with a clasp in the back," she explains. I sit down and motion Asta over and she starts trying it on my hair. It's usually just a dwarf tradition to use clasps in your hair, but my sister and I both like them, so my father gave us some to use. Asta is extremely meticulous about braiding, and she's gotten lots of practice, so she's finished my hair very quickly. I look at my reflection and I'm pleasantly surprised.

"It looks great! I absolutely love it!" I exclaim, "Now let me do your hair!" I get up and Asta takes my spot. Since Asta has thinner hair than I do, her braids are smaller but our hair styles look almost identical.

When I finish Asta stands up and jokingly bows saying, "I thank you dear Dera!" I laugh at the use of my nickname. "I thank you for the inspiration Your Royal Highness! Now, would you do me the favor of accompanying me to the ball?" I say as I hold out an arm to escort her. Asta laughs and takes my arm as we head out of my room.


	8. Laketown

Asta and I grab our cloaks and head out the castle doors to find our ponies already prepared for us. Asta and I rode side-by-side chatting happily and laughing as we are lead through the city. Quickly, the short ride out of the city and to the shores of Long Lake has ended. Asta and I give each other a look and I know how we're getting to the other side of the lake. Most people traveling from Dale to Laketown like to go around the lake to reach one of the many bridges that connect to the city. But, Asta and I both love taking a boat across the lake, directly to the town.

I love the feeling of going slowly, but steadily over the water. Whenever little droplets hit my face I smile and remember the many boat rides my sister and I have taken across this lake. And the many long conversations held on similar boats. It actually was riding on boats that was one of the first things I had realized Asta and I had in common. I look at the sun setting and the reflection in the water. I hadn't realized how late it had gotten, but I love the sight of the sun's last light hitting the lake. It's so picturesque, I wouldn't really mind spending more time closer to the lake.

I laugh a little when I get some water on my face, but I'm glad for my cloak because it's a little chilly. It's just the beginning of autumn, but being near the water makes it seem colder. I look over the lake and I can see the lights of Laketown, Esgaroth, whichever you want to call it. In lessons I was taught Esgaroth, but it's less formal in town, so the inhabitants call it Laketown. It seems like everything is less formal in Laketown, even the architecture. Laketown is made entirely of wood and it has wooden pillars that keep the buildings out of the water. While Dale was rebuilt out of stone, with arches and small towers. Of course, it's easier for us to get stone from the mountain than the people of Laketown. Recently Laketown has expanded and more people live on the shore of the lake, instead of actually on the lake. Laketown had lots of damage in the last encounter with Smaug. But it's been rebuilt bigger and better, exactly like Dale.

I feel more safe on the shores because I can't help but wonder what happens to wood after long times exposed to water. It would be just my luck if I took an accidental dip in the lake tonight. Just as I'm starting to imagine all the different possibilities and circumstances that end badly, we reach one of the docks. I get out of the boat first and turn to help Asta out. The dock seems to be sturdy and doesn't seem to be rotting away. _Seems_. Asta pulls me along as I glare at the wood.

I really need to get ahold of myself, over the years I've gotten better at holding my tongue, but I can't seem to stop my train of thought for the life of me. I look up at the smell of food, distracted, and when Asta sees the look in my eye we head towards source.

We come to a large building that's obviously a pub. All of the chairs and tables are outside and as we walk inside I see that the entire room is filled with food. The main room is filled with rows of tables holding food and more is coming from the kitchen. The doors to the kitchens are propped open and I can see all the meats cooking and other foods being prepared

Asta and I give each other one look before grabbing plates and filling them. I missed lunch and I feel as hungry as a dwarf, it doesn't help that everything smells so good. I have to try a little bit of everything. So, that's exactly what I do, I take some freshly baked bread, some different kinds of fruits and vegetables, and grab some meats before looking around to find Asta. I see her already near the door, so I quickly follow her grabbing a mug of tasty water. We head out and we see a small table, I set down my plate and take off my cloak.

I sit down and immediately try a bite of everything. I try to remember my lessons, and eat like a lady. But, sometimes I get distracted by food. Asta is seemingly always lady-like so I try to copy her, sitting up straighter and taking smaller bites of food. Asta and I are quiet while we eat, so we sit there and listen to the people and sounds around us. There are so many conversations going on at once, I don't even know what to make of half of them.

Finally, when both of us finish our meals, we get up and grab our cloaks. "Do you want to go dancing, or at least go and watch the excitement?" Asta asks. I nod because I can't decide which one I want to do. Neither of us know where exactly we're going. After a little while of walking around I start to hear singing. We're near the edge of town and I realize that sound is coming from a tent on the shores of the lake. There's a bridge leading directly to the tent and the bridge seems to have a lot of people heading towards shore and not a lot coming back. I guess that it's pretty popular, so Asta and I go with the flow heading towards the tent.

We're just inside the tent when I run into somebody. "Oh, sorry about that!" I feel bad for practically knocking this, as I can see know, little boy down. He starts to mumble an apology, then he looks up and realizes who I am.

"Princess Dera! Your Highness! I am so sorry!" He's blushing and is extremely flustered. I just shake my head, I guess I shouldn't have thought that Asta and I could gotten very far without somebody recognizing us. "No, the fault is all mine. I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking." I say with a little smile, I hate making people feel bad. Then, I continue walking. Asta and I have gotten almost used to these kinds of things happening, only Asta doesn't run into people as much as I do.

I take a look around the tent. It's quite large, but it's also quite crowded. In the center there is a large open space which will no doubt be used for dancing. But for now there is no music and no dancing. There's a large table at the opposite end of the dance floor. I can see my father sitting with the Master of Laketown. I nudge Asta and we walk towards the table. My father sees us coming and greets us.

"Ah, you two just missed the singing! But, you're just in time for the music!" And sure enough, as soon as I turn around I see a group of people walking in. They're carrying fiddles and flutes and other kinds of instruments. There are a group of chairs which the musicians sit down in. They immediately start with a fast-paced song. People flock to the dance floor and start dancing a little jig. Asta and I look over to each other at the same time, then look over to our father with pleading eyes.

"No, it is undignified for princesses to dance to songs like this." My father, the party-pooper.

"But, Father! We never get an opportunity to dance! To rule over a kingdom you must know about it's people!" My sister is much more persuasive than I am. Which is why I always let her try to convince other people.

"No, Asta you haven't even has lessons on how to dance to songs like this." My father has a triumphant look in his eyes. He thinks he's won. _Thinks._

"Oh, but Father, that's where you're wrong. What if Asta and I found someone to teach us? Or maybe we taught ourselves?" I arch an eyebrow at my father. I turn on my heel and head towards the dancing area. Asta and I have _tried_ to teach ourselves, but neither of us are very coordinated. Which could be a problem.

But, as I'm heading to where the people are dancing I run into another person. This time though, I'm the one to fall to the ground. I look up and see a hand offering to help me up. I take the hand and pull myself up, off the ground. "Well, I am sorry about that My Lady." I have come to recognize that annoying voice over the past few days.

It belongs to my future husband, as does the hand I'm still holding onto. I quickly let go and turn away without saying a word. I do not want to deal with him tonight, but it seems that things are not going in my favor as I hear another voice saying my name. "Dera! Dera!" My father is calling me so I walk back to the table he has been sitting at. "Dera, now I see that Kili has found you! Maybe you two should spend some time together, get to know each other!"

Great. Great, great, great. That's the last thing I want to do. But to make Father happy I decide to sit at a nearby table and Kili joins me.

This is going to be a long night.

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**AN:** I'm sorry about the wait on this chapter, I re-uploaded the last chapter with some changes to introduce more of the storyline and background. So, thank you for reading and please review!


	9. Talking, Talking, Talking

This was a difficult chapter to write, trying to get it just right. But I hope it was worth the wait :)

* * *

As I sat down, Kili sat next to me and we sit there quietly for a few moments.

"So... have you eaten anything yet?" Kili asks, I nod my head because I am not in the talking mood. At least, not in the mood to be talking with him.

"I already ate too. But, ya know... I'm always up for seconds..." Kili starts to trail off as he realizes that I'm not paying attention to him in the slightest. I didn't mean to be so rude but the music has changed. It's slower and I've actually been taught dances to go with music like this. I look over to my father and give him a pleading look. He sighs and nods, but then, to my horror, looks to my left and gives Kili a look. I realize what my father is implying and unfortunately, so does Kili.

He stands up and gives me a small bow, offering his arm to me at the same time. I'm staring at my father, still pleading, only for a different reason. My father nods his head at Kili and I know that there's no arguing with him. So I stand up, ignoring Kili's arm, and just walk over to where all the people are starting to dance. I turn and see that Kili hasn't been following, he's looking at my father, probably asking what just happened, but Father just laughs and waves him off.

Quickly, Kili walks over to join me and we start a simple dance. We dance in silence for a short time, while I'm looking around at the other dancers.

"I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to be, well, to be able to dance." I say, rather bluntly. I didn't mean to say it that way, well I kind of did, but I didn't mean to sound rude. Sometimes I feel like I just can't control what comes out of my mouth.

"And I didn't expect you to be actually start a conversation." Kili replies sassily with a big smile on his face. I don't think that anything phases him.

"Well, you say I've started a conversation, but what is this conversation going to be about?" I truly enjoy dancing, even if I'm terrible at more complicated dance steps. I always feel more relaxed, and it isn't so hard to have a conversation with him. I still don't want to like Kili and get along with him, but obviously my father is going to be persistent about this relationship.

"You started it," Kili says wryly, "so you have to decide what to talk about."

I smile as he turns me around, and I start talking slowly. "Well, I've heard of you before, or course, but I barely know more than your name and I'm sure that you don't really know who I am. We could take turns asking each other questions."

I really don't know how to handle relationships and I'm proud of my idea, I feel like such a diplomat, and I know that my father would be happy about my effort. I'd like to be angry at Father for arranging this, but we're extremely close and he's put up with so much throughout my life, so I can't stay mad at him. And it really isn't Kili's fault that this whole relationship is happening, so I feel like I shouldn't punish him. I know all too well what it's like to had a grudge held against you for something you have no control over.

"That sounds like a great idea! I'll go first, if you don't mind. What happened last night, that I decided to injure my hand and you won't tell me about?" Kili shows me his hand and looks at me pointedly, waiting for a response.

"I can see that you've taken off the bandages, you can now appreciate the bruises. As for your question, I would tell you happened, but then you'll ask the same question that you asked yesterday, I'll give the same answer, and you'll get upset again. But, this time there aren't any walls to punch, only people." I say, trying to avoid the actual answer.

"So, I asked you something? Hmmm, now what did I ask that made you not want to give an answer? And why would it be a sticky subject, that you won't even tell me what I asked?" Kili asks curiously, but I just give him a little smirk and a small shake of the head. The song changes, but it's still a slow and played softly.

"That was two questions and it's my turn to ask you something!" I say with a huge grin on my face. "What's your most prized possession?" Not too personal, but it will tell me something about what's important to him.

"That's easy! My bow." Kili has a huge smile on his face, probably thinking about archery. But I'm slightly shocked, "Not all dwarves have war hammers? I thought that that was their weapon of choice?"

"You don't know much about dwarves, do you?" Kili gives me a confused look and I shake my head, a little embarrassed about my lack of knowledge, "You do live in the city in the valley of the mountain that holds the largest dwarf kingdom? Don't you?"

I'm blushing now because it's true, I barely know anything about my own neighbors. "You're one of the first dwarves I've ever talked to, and the only things I've learned about dwarves came from books, written by people who aren't dwarves." When I make eye contact with Kili he's just staring at me and blinking.

"W-what? H-h-how?" He finally chokes out. Kili looks utterly shocked. "Well, I used to get sick as a child, kind of a lot, and I only traveled out of the city once, it didn't end well and after that my father kept Asta and I sheltered us pretty much our entire lives." I mumble, looking down. "I would have loved to get to know everyone I could, but I just didn't have the opportunity. I was actually planning on asking Father if I could go on a trip to, you know, see the world. But, that obviously isn't going to happen. I'm going to be stuck at home, being a good wife, for the rest of my life."

I didn't mean to say that last part out loud, I sound so bitter. Even if I kind of am bitter about it. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm just being stupid. I really need to control what comes out of my mouth. Let's talk about something else." I say quickly, hoping Kili didn't catch what I said.

My hopes for a different topic crash down as I look up and see Kili still staring at me in shock and a little bit of pity. I can't stand being pitied, so I panic. "I'm sorry, this is what what I get for really talking to people. I should just be quiet. I'm so stupid, I'm sorry." I'm extremely upset because I can't do anything right and I'm rambling. I stop dancing and walk quickly to where my father is sitting. I stop in front of him, "I'm sorry, I just can't do this." My voice sounds like it's cracking, I don't know why I'm so upset about this. "I really tried, I tried for you, because of all you put up with, with Asta and me and Mother. I just can't handle relationships. This is just more proof." I'm out of breath and run out of the tent. There's almost no one outside and I quickly run to the side of the lake. There's a dock just a little ways down on shore so I lightly jog over and sit on the edge with my feet dangling over the edge.

I take a deep breath, and I wonder about what just happened. There was just something in me that telling me to tell Kili everything. To talk to him, get to know him, trust him, and feel accepted by him. But, it wouldn't have worked out that way. I would have to tell him about my past. My family has taken a silent vow to not talk about the events of fifteen years ago, so I've never talked about it to anyone. And I'm not sure that I ever want to.

All of a sudden, I hear someone behind me and I jump up. I turn quickly and almost run into my father.

He immediately holds his arms out and I run into them, with his arms around me I feel safe. We stand there for a little bit, but eventually he unwraps his arms from around, motions for me to sit down. So, I do and he sits down next to me and puts one arm around my shoulder. I sit there and try to think about what to say. We used to be extremely close, but after Asta and I started to spend almost all of our time together, we've drifted apart. Not noticeably to most people, but I've kind of missed our endless talks. He has an important job and I respect that.

I'm getting lost in my thoughts when my father starts to speak. "Would you like to explain what you were so upset about?" I was worried that he was angry for a second, but he sounds more concerned than angry. "Nothing really, I'm just being a girl, and a stupid one, at that." I say as I shrug my shoulders. My father gives me a slightly disappointed look. "I don't like that word, you're not stupid. You never were and you never will be."

"It's just that I'm having problems, and I feel _foolish_ for not having my big mouth and emotions under control." My father nods and squeezes my shoulder, comforting me. "What is your problem? And why is it affecting your emotions and causing you to lose control over your tongue?" I laugh a little and say, "You sound like Kili with all your questions." I pause, "And Kili is my problem." I say with my head down. "At first, my feelings were clear, I hated him. I blamed him for this arranged marriage and the first dinner with him only finalized my feelings for him. When I was taking him to his room he started asking about you and Asta, then he started asking about the rest of our family. He got upset when I wouldn't talk about Asta and Mother." I say this all as quickly as possible, then I take a deep breath and continue. "I don't want to tell him about anything. But, a part of me is saying to talk to him, tell him everything, it's telling me to start a conversation. But, we just met a day ago, how do I know that I can trust him?" I look up to my father and he gives me a sympathetic look.

"You don't. You don't know if you can trust him, because you just met, but you have to let him try to gain your trust. You can't shut him out, and you don't need to tell him everything today, or even tomorrow. But, you need to tell him, in your own time, and you never know if he has something that he might share with you. But, now how do you feel about him? You said that at first you hated him. What happened to make that change?" My father isn't usually one to give long speeches, unless they're public addresses, and I'm a little surprised.

"I don't know! I was still angry at him this morning and had to force myself to have a civil conversation with him, it didn't seem to phase him. He was just curious, and he was polite the entire time. Then, when we were dancing, I tried to get along with him because I knew you wanted me to. But, when we were talking, it stopped being forced. I guess that I considered what he must be feeling, and I realized that he probably doesn't remember a single thing about why I'm mad at him. I've vowed to not hold grudges ever since, you know, but it's... difficult to not hold this against him." I say all this while looking my father in the eye.

He nods for me to continue and I struggle to find the right words. "I'm trying to talk to him normally, like I would anyone else, but I can't. Talking to him seems to make me remember every single memory from my childhood that I've mostly suppressed, and been happy about not reliving everyday. We were just talking my lack of knowledge on dwarves when I started to talk about traveling. I mentioned my first and last time traveling, and how I was considering going out to see the world. And how I probably won't now." Father interrupts me saying, "Why didn't you mention that you wanted to travel?"

"I just didn't know when to say anything, and now it's too late." I say looking up at the dark sky and all the stars. "It's never too late," my father says softly, smiling at me, "But, it's too late for an old man like me to be up, so I'm going to say my farewell to the partygoers and you are welcome to accompany me back to the castle."

I shake my head, "I'm going to stay a little bit. Thank you for the talk, it's nice to talk with you like this again," I say smiling, "But, I'm going to try to clear my head. Then, I'll find Asta and see if she would like to go back with me."

"Alright, goodnight, my dear Dera. I know that you might want to talk to someone later." With that my father gets up and kisses the top of my head. I feel much better than when I first ran out here, but I'm not entirely sure I want to talk to the person my father was implying. I guess that I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.


End file.
